Nintendo commander-in-chief Satoru Iwata casually dropped a double-bombshell in an interview, mentioning that gamers would see the new Zelda in 2010, and that the DS’ successor was under construction – and motion sensitive.
Nintendo has been teasing information about the new Legend of Zelda since the concept art was teased at last year’s E3. We know that it will use the Wii Motionplus for full 1:1 swordplay, we know that it will be on a “grand scale” but yet won’t be “radically different” from previous games in the series, and will probably debut at E3 ’10.
In an interview with Nintendo boss-man Satoru Iwata in the Asahi Shimbun (via Kotaku), it was reported that the newest installment in the legendary franchise would go on sale before 2010, though the paper did not note whether this would be just in Japan or otherwise (though given Twilight Princess‘ worldwide launch, it would seem reasonable to assume the same thing would be true with the game’s followup).
If true, this would mark a concerted effort on the part of Nintendo not to show its chickens before they were close to hatching, as it did with Twilight Princess – originally shown off at E3 2004 with a release date of November ’05, the game didn’t come out until November ’06. Hence, some gamers can be forgiven for assuming that we may not see the title until 2011, but at least the software giant is trying, right?
Iwata also briefly spoke about the company’s next handheld – as in, a genuine successor to the DS, and not merely a revision. According to the man, the company’s next handheld would feature “highly detailed graphics, and it will be necessary to have a sensor with the ability to read the movements of people playing.” Whether Iwata meant something more in line with the iPhone’s limited motion sensors – which have proven successful in portable gaming – or along the lines of the full-fledged motion tracking in his company’s Wii remains to be seen, though I’d admittedly prefer the former to the latter, personally. Otherwise how else are you supposed to game on a handheld when you’re trying to get comfortable (or in a vehicle), huh?
At any rate, Iwata would say nothing further, claiming that there was no reason to talk about when the DS’ successor would hit the market considering that the two-screened gaming device is still selling like hotcakes laced with crack cocaine.
So there we go, folks: New Zelda in 2010, new handheld will have “highly detailed graphics” and use motion control. Do we like it? Yay or nay?
